Canadian Government Opposes .XXX

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government does not support the proposed .XXX sTLD according to its top Internet policymaking group.

Bill Graham, director of the International Telecommunications Policy Coordination Industry, has submitted Canada’s official opposition statement to ICANN’s public comments board.

Canada, a participant in ICANN’s Government Advisory Council, “is concerned with the direction the ICANN process appears to be taking and the possible implication of that direction for the future of the organization and of the Internet itself” in its involvement with the proposed .XXX extension, Graham said.

Graham, on behalf of the Canadian government, wrote that it is essential for ICANN to adhere to its narrow mandate as the body responsible for the administration of Internet name and IP addresses, which does not include the creation of TLDs.

“In considering the policy-making aspect of ICANN’s role, it is of fundamental importance to make a distinction between broad Internet-related public policy issues such as spam, fraud, child pornography, etc., which are clearly outside ICANN’s mandate, and the more focused policy issues directly related to the technical functioning of the Internet, which are within its mandate,” Graham wrote.

After reviewing the proposed .XXX agreement between ICANN and ICM Registry, the Canadian government is concerned that many of its terms require, permit and encourage ICANN to venture far beyond its core technical functions.

Graham points out numerous instances in the proposed agreement as to how ICANN would be overstepping its technical mandate, and if .XXX is approved, ICANN “is moving in a very significant way toward taking on an ongoing policy-making and oversight role governing Internet content.

“The Government of Canada considers it inappropriate for ICANN to take on an ongoing role such as the one outlined in the revised proposed agreement with ICM, Graham said.”

Additionally, Graham wrote that “Canada remains of the view that it is not and should not be ICANN’s mandate to set policy related to content or intended to censor, control or interfere with content on the Internet by way of its contracts with TLD operators.”

The Canadian government also is concerned that with the approval of .XXX, ICANN steps into the role as the global Internet content regulator through its contracts with TLDs and risks undermining its legitimacy.

“Canada therefore recommends that ICANN should not take upon itself these inappropriate functions,” Graham wrote. “Instead, ICANN should look to alternative measures more appropriate to ICANN’s technical mandate. For example, ICANN could oblige the TLD to require registered sites to apply and maintain current control rating systems that enable filtering by end users who may wish to do so.

Other technical solutions are now becoming available that could be required to provide governments or individuals the means to prevent access to sites deemed to be illegal or offensive,” he said. “Such approaches would empower governments and individual Internet users to determine appropriate content policy as they see fit, without involving ICANN in determining such policy.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Penthouse Announces Digital Archive Launch

Penthouse Magazine has announced that it will launch a comprehensive digital archive in 2026.

Dreamcam Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Dreamcam has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for August, September

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters by country in August and September.

AV in Focus: A Guide to Unlocking Compliance With Clarity

The age verification era isn’t coming — it’s here. Laws are already on the books in numerous U.S. states, as well as in the U.K., France and beyond.

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Endorses National AV Bill

Philippe Dufresne, privacy commissioner of Canada, has voiced support for a bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

Ricky Johnson Launches 'Ricky's Resort' Through YourPaysitePartner

Ricky's Room studio honcho Ricky Johnson has launched his latest site, RickysResort.com, through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Industry Attorney Paul Cambria Retires After 50 Years of Practicing Law

After more than a half-century in practice, during which he provided the defense in some of the adult industry's most notable legal cases, attorney Paul Cambria has retired.

2026 XMA Nominations Party Set for Nov. 19 in Hollywood

The 2026 XMA nominations reveal party will take place at Keys on the Sunset Strip on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with red-carpet arrivals starting at 8 p.m.

New VR Membership Site 'DeepInSex.com' Launches

The new 8K VR membership site DeepInSex has officially launched.

NATS Launches Integrated Content Management System

Too Much Media (TMM) has rolled out an integrated, no-charge Content Management System (CMS) to its NATS platform.

Show More